Who is the first popular guitarist to use this technique? For me it's billy gibons. Cheap sunglasses stands out.

You may be right.

He masters it in the "La Grange" guitar solo.

Beautiful.

I read somewhere that he used a nickel as a pick on that song or others.

The technique is possible on any fretted stringed instrument, but is most widely employed by electric guitarists, especially in heavy metal and rock music where heavy distortion ensures that the otherwise subtle harmonic is greatly amplified. An early example can be heard in Roy Buchanan's 1962 recording of "Potato Peeler".[2] Robbie Robertson, who learned the technique from Buchanan, has used this style of playing on many of his classic guitar solos with The Band, as did Leslie West of Mountain. Another prime example of this technique being utilized by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead can be heard in "Loser" from their May 8, 1977 show. Artists such as Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai made the technique popular, utilizing the tremolo arm and high gain amps together with the pinch harmonic to produce horse-like wails from the instrument.

Pinch harmonics are used extensively in death metal. Used by many guitarists like Dallas Toller-Wade (Nile; in Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld solo), Joe Duplantier from Gojira and many more. The technique's use in death metal is notable in that pinch harmonic notes are included in riffs, rather than being reserved for solos. Combined with the rather low tunings most of these guitarists use, and the fact that they are usually played by both rhythm guitarists (if there are two), the pinch harmonic notes leap out, creating more complex and twisted melodic contours than otherwise possible. The technique is also used commonly in other sub-genres of heavy metal, particularly by guitarists such as Adam Dutkiewicz, Tommy Victor, Steve Morse, Glenn Tipton, Zakk Wylde, Angus Young, Randy Rhoads, Mark Morton, Synyster Gates and Dimebag Darrell. One guitarist of the rock genre who is widely known for his use of pinch harmonics is Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, who uses them frequently in guitar solos, an excellent example being the second solo on the well known ZZ Top track "La Grange". Another exponent of this technique was the Irish Blues/Rock guitarist Rory Gallagher, as heard in the soloing on the track "Walk On Hot Coals" from the album "Irish Tour '74". Billy Corgan often uses the technique in Smashing Pumpkins songs, notably in "Mayonaise", where he uses pinch harmonics in the intro without distortion.

Gary Rossington and Ed King were well known for this with Skynyrd.

I have gotten some good pinch harmonics myself, but always completely by accident. I have no idea how to do it.

You have to pinch the string with your pick. It's all about the angle of the pick and the position of the pick.

Having lots of gain helps too.

Listen to Zakk Wylde as he over does it sometimes. It's a novelty at first, but then you have say "enough already!"

[This message has been edited by Human (edited 2/12/2014 12:14p).]

Zakk overdoes it ALL the time. It takes away from his greatness a bit IMO.

Good topic. I would also have to go with Gibbons. Obviously La Grange is one of the first songs you think of when someone mentions pinch harmonics. Gibbons also did good pinch work on Rough Boys.

I don't know why, but another song that jumps out at me is Skid Row's "I Remember You".

George Lynch was pretty good with the pinch harmonics.

I was about to ask if that's what Zakk does all the time.

Skynyrd's use (King, Collins, Rossington, and Gaines) was some of the most well-done IMO. Obviously Gibbons is probably the king, but something about the way Skynyrd used them was so "organic" for lack of a better word.

And Zakk definitely overdoes it, but it was kind of his sound (encouraged by Ozzy when he was a kid), and I think he rode it a little too long. He's still awesome though, I find it hard to hate on the dude. Really nice guy too if you ever get the chance to talk to him.

Us And Them - The Pink Floyd Experience
http://www.usandthemband.net

Sambora does a great job on dead or alive. Just enough

Gary Richrath of REO had some great pinch harmonic solos in the early REO days. "Tough Guys" from Hi Infidelity is one song that I can think of.

Played for over 20 years. The PH is a technique I've always stunk at. I get the same effect by picking and rotating my wrist so that my palm below my pinky triggers the harmonic by rubbing the string at the same time that I pick. The only downside is the subtle "swoosh" you hear from the palm sliding on the strings. It's on my list of "woodshed" practice items.

Agree that Sambora nails it in "Dead or Alive"

quote:

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Gary Richrath of REO had some great pinch harmonic solos in the early REO days. "Tough Guys" from Hi Infidelity is one song that I can think of.

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"Ridin' The Storm Out" guitar solo IRC.

Love the pinch harm. Have never had trouble doing it. Learned playing metal, so always had lots of gain.